New Departures Pier
A pier adjacent to the current terminal is being built to be operational by the first half on 2009, the new pier will provide additional 10,000 sqm of passenger circulation and retail space at the Ground and first floor level. The Pier will feature a waiting area for departing passengers with approximately 1,800 seats with improved levels of seating, new bathrooms, prayer rooms, smoking room and the provision of a wider choice of retail, food and beverage outlets, combined with excellent views of the apron, will all contribute towards a significant improvement in the departing passenger experience.

The first floor interior is a combination of marble and carpeted floors, with Omani themed decor and feature lighting. The first floor is connected to the existing first floor terminal building.

An escalator and staircase will take passengers down to the ground floor level, the ground floor will feature eight new bus boarding gates each with an approximate capacity of 160 seats, lifts are also provided. The ground floor features a combination of marble and vinyl floor coverings. In total the new pier will be able to accommodate 3,000 passengers.

Also on the ground floor a new fully automated transfer baggage screening and processing facility will improve baggage connectivity and offer even greater levels of security.

The external appearance of the Pier has been designed to match the existing terminal building.

The contract was awarded at a total cost of R.O. 9 million.

Planned Interim Terminal Expansion
Traffic through Muscat International Airport is expected to increase, the growth in passenger numbers is being driven by a number of factors including fleet and route expansion by the national carrier Oman Air, the increase in capacity and frequency by existing carriers, the growth and development of the tourism and economical activity in Oman.

A number improvement projects have been initiated to deliver additional capacity to meet the expected increase in passenger traffic especially in the passenger processing areas, this is to ensure that passengers using the airport can still enjoy a comfortable and convenient experience as they arrive, depart or transfer through the airport.

The international baggage claim hall at arrivals has been enlarged by 30% to provide more space for passengers to pick up their baggage, one of the existing baggage belts has been be extended by 100%, this provides an additional reclaim carousel which will improve baggage offloading capacity and delivery times. Moreover, in late 2008 two new baggage belts were replaced with brand new belts in order to improve the baggage belts efficiency.

The landside departures hall and the baggage security pre X Ray queuing area are being extended by an extra 700 sqm of floor space, due for completion in mid 2009, this will provide more efficient passenger queuing space for baggage security checks and more space for family and friends to bid farewell to traveling passengers inside the terminal building.

The check-in hall at departures will also be expanded with an extra 800 sqm of floor space to provide for 20 additional check-in desks and associated queuing and circulation space, due for completion in late 2009, this will increase the capacity of the check-in hall by 30%.

New office space is being constructed for airline offices to ensure that there is adequate space and facilities for their business to grow and for new airlines to commence operations at the airport, this project will be completed by late 2009.

Muscat International Airport started implementing a new E-immigration system to serve incoming and outgoing travelers from September 2008. Travelers, both Omanis and expatriate residents who possess the civil status Identity Card (ID) or resident cards can proceed directly to the new electronic gates which automats the entry and exit process.

The E-immigration gates is an initiative by the Royal Oman Police which speeds up the immigration process, citizens and residents are no longer required to pass through immigration counters and get their passports stamped while arriving or departing at Muscat International Airport. The e-gates have been very effective in reducing queuing times for travelers.

The expansion projects are designed to improve the existing passenger terminal building, relieve congestion at peak times and to meet the increasing passenger demand until the new terminal building is operational in late 2014.

Major renovation and refurbishment projects for Muscat International and Salalah Airports have been completed in 2008 which contributes to a more comfortable and convenient experience for travelers, some of these facilities improvement includes:

Renovation and Refurbishment of the Terminal Building
Muscat International Airport has completed a major renovation and refurbishment project, the following work has been completed between the last quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008.

1. Complete renovation and refurbishment works for 22 bathrooms in the terminal building.

2. Full internal and external painting and panel decoration in the terminal building.

3. Installing new carpets and replacing all handrails.

4. Installing backlit neon sign illuminated roof top signboard for departures and arrivals.

5. Installation of new Oman heritage, cultural pictures at few selected areas within the terminal building.

6. Carrying out Expansion works for smoking rooms at the passenger waiting area.

7. Installing stainless steel flower pots, pedal operated large capacity liter bins.

8. Carrying out full maintenance and refurbishment works at the Airport mosque.

9. Construction of a new canopy for international arrivals main entrance.

10. Install better laminated lighting system in the terminal building both external and internal sides including civil apron paved areas.

11. Installed colored spot lights all along the terminal building airside and landside to better illuminate external walls of the terminal building front elevation side.

Completed Development
In order to meet the demand for the short term passenger growth at Muscat International Airport, additional aircraft parking stands were constructed in 2007, this created additional 6 aircraft stands for large aircrafts or 8 extra stands for medium sized aircrafts, the total cost of the additional aircraft stands and for the drainage system project was R.O. 4 million.

The expansion of car park No. 1 has been completed in 2006 this has resulted in doubling the car park capacity from 260 to 572 spaces, the total car park capacity available at the Muscat International Airport is 1,222.